Mop sink



Feb. 5,3 1963 w. 'B. SORRELLS 3,076,202

MOP SINK Filed Aug. 2'?, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Wu 0005. ISO/musBY I [WY ATTORNEYS W. B. SORRELLS Feb. 5, 1963 MOP SINK & N

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ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,076,202 MOP SINK Weldon B. Sorrells,511 N. Monroe St., Arlington, Va.

' Filed Aug. 27, 1962, Bar. No. 219,416

6 Claims. (Cl. 4- -189) This invention relates to sink constructions andin particular to an improved sink for washing and storing mops.

In institutions, oifice buildings and restaurants it is a commonpractice to provide a number of mops for use in cleaning floors. Varioustypes of portable cleaning equipment such as buckets and wheeled tanksprovided with wringers are used in combination with the mops at thelocations where cleaning is performed. When the cleaning job has beencompleted, the mops and containers are usually returned to a closet orother area set aside for the purpose and remain there until they areneeded again. A conventional deep sink or tub is usually provided inthis area for disposing of the dirty water and rinsing the mops.Ordinarily, the rinsed mops are then stored by standing them against awall or in the containers or in the sink.

The above-described conventional procedure for rinsing and storing mopshas several disadvantages, particularly when more than one mop isprovided and when more than one person uses the facilities. Firstly, theperson returning a soiled mop may fail to rinse it, and as a result thenext person needing a mop will either unknowingly take a soiled mop ormust rinse it before use. Secondly, the storing of a number of mopseither in a conventional sink or standing in buckets or against the wallis awkward and unsightly. Obviously, mops stored in this manner areeasily dislodged from their resting place and are apt to fall to thefloor or, at best, to stand askew. Thirdly, and most importantly,rinsing and storage of mops in this manner does not assure that a clean,sweet mop will always be available. It is seldom possible merely byrinsing to clean a soiled mop to such a degree that it will not turnsour with mildew and other bacteria when stored damp and, obviously itis awkward and time consuming to plug the sink drain and thoroughly washa mop after each use. Obviously, also, if the mops are stored in thesink each soiled mop will contaminate the others as Well as making therinsing or washing operation difiicult.

Accordingly, it is the primary object of the present invention toprovide a sink which is constructed so as to always present one or moreneatly stored clean mops yet have an uncluttered mop-rinsing andmop-wringing compartment.

It is a still further object to provide a sink of the above type with athird compartment for containing detergent which may be added as desiredto the storage compartment. 7

These and other objects and advantages will be apparent from thefollowing detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings inwhich:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a mop sink constructed inaccordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the mop sink of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the mop sink;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the mop sink;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of a cover for the detergent chamber; and

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary view of the means for locking the mops in thestorage compartment.

Referring to FIGURES 1-5 there is shown therein a mop sink 16 whichembodies the principles of the present invention. The particular sinkillustrated is of elongated, generally rectangular construction adaptedto hold four mops ready for use, but it will be understood that the sizeand shape of the sink may be varied as desired.

In its preferred form the sink It is constructed integrally of stainlesssteel sheet suitably formed and welded into an open-topped tank having afront wall 12, a back wall 14, a bottom wall 16 and a pair of end walls18 and 20. According to one aspect of the invention the tank is dividedinto a storage compartment 22 and an adjacent rinsing and wringingcompartment 24, as by means of a vertical partition 26 which is sealedas by welding to the bottom, front and rear Walls. If desired, the tankmay be constructed of other materials, such as cast iron or galvanizedsheet metal and it need not necessarily be constructed as an integralunit. However, from the standpoint of ease and cost of installation andmaintenance the integral stainless steel construction is preferred.

The mop rinsing and wringing compartment 24 is constructed so as toreceive a conventional wringer which is illustrated schematically at 28in FIGURE 3. As shown,

.the upper part of the front wall 12 of the sink 10 is provided with aforwardly extending tray-like projection 30 to which the wringer 23 maybe attached in a conventional manner. While the tray-like projection 30is not required in the region of the storage compartment, theconstruction of the sink is simplified if the front wall 12 is providedwith the same contour throughout its length.

If this is done, the front wall 12, the bottom wall 16 and the back wall14 may be constructed of a single sheet of metal as seen in FIGURE 4.

The rinsing compartment 24 is also provided with means for sprayingwater onto a mop placed therein. As shown, the spray assembly includes alength of pipe 32 secured to each of the opposed sides of the end wall18 and the partition 26 and provided with inwardly facing apertures 34.A pipe T 36 connects with the ends of the spray pipes 32 and isconnectedto a water supply pipe 38 through conventional valve 40. A drain 42 inthe bottom of the rinsing compartment 24 connects in a conventionalmanner with a drain pipe 44.

The storage compartment 22 is preferably constructed with a plurality ofvertical spaced partitions 46 which are secured to the front and backwalls 12 and 14 above the bottom wall 16. The partitions define separateinterconnecting chambers for the stored mops and in addition providerigidity for the sink which, if constructed of light gauge sheet, willtend to be deformed by the weight of the water. The storage compartment22 is also provided with a conventional drain 45 which connects with thedrain pipe 44. Means, such as a lever handle waste valve 47 is providedin the drain 45 for opening and closing the same. A water pipe 48connecting with the water supply pipe 38 and containing a conventionalvalve 49 is disposed above the compartment 22 for discharging waterthereinto preferably at the end remote from the rinsing compartment 24.The pipe 48 is shown as being secured to the extended portion 50 of theback wall 14 but it is apparent that its location may be varied ifdesired.

In the preferred construction of the mop sink 10 the partition 26 whichdivides the storage compartment 22 from the rinsing compartment 24extends to a point below the upper edges of the front and end walls 12,18 and 20. This construction permits liquid in the storage compartment22 to overflow into the rinsing compartment 24 rather than onto thefloor in the event that the storage compartment is over filled. Theconstruction also permits the user to establish a flow of Water throughthe storage compartment 22 if desired.

According to another aspect of the invention the sink 10 is constructedto support mops not in use within the storage compartment 22 so as toremain in a clean, fresh condition and be readily accessible for use.Ac-

cordingly, means are provided, preferably integral with the remainder ofthe sink, for supporting a mop in such a position that the mop headhangs freely in the storage compartment 24 substantially completelyabove the bottom wall 16. As shown this feature is accomplished byextending the back wall 14 upwardly beyond the front and end walls atleast in the region of the storage compartment and securing the mopsupports to this extended portion 50 of the back wall 114. A preferredmop support construction includes as an upper support a horizontal plate52 at the upper end of the extended back wall, which may be formed, ifdesired, by bending the top of the extended portion 50 forwardly. Forincreasing the rigidity of the plate 52, a pair of end plates 54 and adownwardly extending flange 56 may be provided if desired. As seen inFIGURES 3 and 4 the uppermost plate 52 is provided with fourlongitudinally spaced holes 58 for loosely receiving the upper ends ofthe handles of four mops 60.

A lower mop support is also provided which, as best seen in FIGURES 4and 6, includes four vertical pins 62 which are mounted in anyconvenient manner a short distance above the open top of the storagecompartment 22 and more or less in line with the holes 58 in the uppersupport plate 52. As shown, the lower ends of the pins 62 are bentrearwardly and are secured, as by welds 64, to an elongated, horizontalbracket 66 which in turn is secured to the upper portion 50 of the backwall 14. Conveniently, the bracket 66 may be constructed from a strip ofstainless steel sheet by bending one edge 68 upwardly and the oppositeedge 70 down wardly, the center portion 72 serving as a spacer toproperly locate the pins 62.

In the illustrated embodiment the mops are supported on the pins 62 bymeans of a fitting 73 secured to the mop handle adjacent the head of themop. Conveniently the fitting 73 may consist of a sleeve portion 74attached to the mop handle in any suitable manner and a ring portion 75which loosely fits over a pin 62 as best seen in FIGURE 6. In one typeof conventional mop which is readily obtainable on the market, a fittingvery similar to the fitting 73 forms part of the connection between thehandle and the mop head, and thus the pins 62 will support this type ofmop without requiring any modification of the mop handle. Where, as inlarge facilities, it is desirable to prevent unauthorized removal ofmops 60 from their assigned locations they may be retained on the pins62 by means of pad locks 76 (FIGURE 6) inserted through holes 78 drilledtransversely through the upper ends of the pins.

According to another feature of the invention a soap or detergentcompartment 80 is provided adjacent the storage compartment 22 as byinstalling a vertical portion 82 near the end of the tank remote fromthe rinsing compartment 24. A suitable cover 84, such as thatillustrated in FIGURE 5, may be provided for the detergent compartment80 to prevent foreign material from entering. In the preferredconstruction detergent in the compartment 80 is delivered to the storagecompartment 22 through a vertical tube 86 which extends from the bottomof the compartment 80 through a slot 88 in the cover 84 to aconventional liquid proportioning device 90 associated with thedischarge end of the water pipe 48. The proportioner 90 has a dischargeoutlet 92 located above the storage compartment 22 so as to provide asuitable mixture of Water and detergent thereto when the valve 49 isopened. As is known, conventional liquid proportioning devices operateby suction produced by the flow of the main liquid stream through aconstruction. The liquid to be mixed with the main stream is drawn inthrough a tube attached to the proportioner at the downstream or suctionside of the construction. The proportioning function may be eliminatedwhen desired merely by closing a valve in the tube.

In its preferred form the mop sink is designed to be attached to andsupported solely by a Wall. As shown, the light-weight stainless steelconstruction is supported by four spaced angle clips 94 secured to thebottom wall 16 and to a wall 98 and by three bolts 96 passing througheach lateral edge of the extended portion 50 of the back wall 14.Obviously the sink may be supported by other means, although it isdesirable from the standpoint of ease of maintenance and cost to avoidthe use of a support extending to the floor.

The sink 10 is intended to be used in the following manner. A personreturning a soiled mop to the sink first places it in the rinsingcompartment 24, the drain of which is normally open, and thoroughlyrinses it by means of the spray pipes 32. The mop is then wrung dry withthe wringer 28 and is placed in its appointed position within thenormally water-filled storage compartment 22 by passing the end of themop handle upwardly through one of the holes 58 in the support plate 52and then lowering the mop so as to hook the ring 75 over the pin 62which is in line with the hole 58. When it is desired to re-use the mop,it is removed from its pin 62, rinsed again if necessary and wrung dryin the rinsing compartment 24.

According to the invention the mops 60 are maintained in a cleancondition by maintaining the storage compartmeat 22 full of water,preferably mixed with soap or detergent. This is easily accomplished byclosing the drain valve 47, opening the valve 49 and adjusting theproportioner to give the desired detergent-water mixture. As notedbefore, overflow from the compartment 22 will pass over the top of thepartition 26 into the rinsing compartment 24. If desired, theproportioner 90 may be deactivated and a continuous stream of waterpassed through the storage compartment 22 and over the partition 26. Ineither case the heads of the mops 60 hang freely in a cleansing mediumand cannot possibly turn sour from bacteria growth. Additionally, evenif a dirty mop is stored, the dirt does not set in the mop head.

Thus it will be appreciated that the present invention provides acompact, economical mop sink which is capable of neatly storing aplurality of mops, maintaining them in a clean condition and providing amop rinsing and wringing compartment which is free of stored mops. Whilea preferred embodiment has been described in detail, it is apparent thatmany modifications may be made without departing from the principles ofthe invention and it is not intended that the described details belimiting except as they appear in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A sink construction for cleaning and storing mops comprising: a firstopen-topped compartment; spraying means associated with said firstcompartment for spraying Water thereinto; drain means for drainingliquid from said first compartment; a second open-topped compartmentimmediately adjacent said first compartment; means associated with saidsecond compartment for delivering water thereto; closable drain meansfor draining liquid from said second compartment; means located aboveand associated with said second compartment for engaging and supportingthe handle of a mop placed upright in said second compartment so as tosupport the mop in a position in which its head is substantiallycompletely above the bottom of said second chamber.

2. A sink construction as in claim 1 wherein said mop holding meansincludes a generally horizontal plate having an aperture verticallytherethrough adapted to receive the top of a mop handle and furtherincludes means positioned below said plate for engaging the handle ofthe mop near its lower end.

3. A mop sink as in claim 1 wherein said water spraying means includes aconduit within said first compartment having a plurality oflongitudinally spaced apertures therein.

4. A mop sink as in claim 1 further comprising: a third compartmentadjacent said second compartment;

and means for withdrawing liquid from said third com partment and fordelivering the withdrawn liquid to said second compartment.

5. A mop sink as in claim 1 in which said first and second compartmentsare separated by a partition which extends upwardly from the bottom ofsaid sink construction to a point below the upper edges of the Wallswhich form said first and second chambers whereby liquid in said secondcompartment may flow into said first compartment.

6. A sink construction for cleaning and storing mops comprising: anopen-topped tank having front, back, end and bottom walls, a generallyvertical partition sealed to said walls and dividing said tank into afirst and a second compartment, at least a portion of said back wallextending upwardly'in the region of said second compartment to abovesaid front and end walls; spraying means References Cited in the file ofthis patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 863,825 Acker Aug. 20, 1907 1,040,450Staines Oct. 8, 1912 1,741,606 Bean Dec. 31, 1929

1. A SINK CONSTRUCTION FOR CLEANING AND STORING MOPS COMPRISING: A FIRSTOPEN-TOPPED COMPARTMENT; SPRAYING MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID FIRSTCOMPARTMENT FOR SPRAYING WATER THEREINTO; DRAIN MEANS FOR DRAININGLIQUID FROM SAID FIRST COMPARTMENT; A SECOND OPEN-TOPPED COMPARTMENTIMMEDIATELY ADJACENT SAID FIRST COMPARTMENT; MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAIDSECOND COMPARTMENT FOR DELIVERING WATER THERETO; CLOSABLE DRAIN MEANSFOR DRAINING LIQUID FROM SAID SECOND COMPARTMENT; MEANS LOCATED ABOVEAND ASSOCIATED WITH SAID SECOND COMPARTMENT FOR ENGAGING AND SUPPORTINGTHE HANDLE OF A MOP PLACED UPRIGHT IN SAID SECOND COMPARTMENT SO AS TOSUPPORT THE MOP IN A POSITION IN WHICH ITS HEAD IS SUBSTANTIALLYCOMPLETELY ABOVE THE BOTTOM OF SAID SECOND CHAMBER.